§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many animal welfare inspections were made by state veterinary officers in each of 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989.
§ Mr. MacleanThe number of visits to farms specifically to carry out animal welfare inspections in each of these years was:
Year Inspections 1985 6,064 1986 5,804 1987 5,219 1988 5,670 1989 3,902 The reduction in 1989 was due largely to the need to divert the effort of the state veterinary service to tackling the problems of BSE. However, veterinary officers continued to monitor welfare in the course of their visits to farms for other purposes.